Submissions on The Deepfake Digital Harm and Exploitation Bill 

AWLA was pleased to make submissions in support of the Deepfake Digital Harm and Exploitation Bill, recognising it as an important step towards strengthening New Zealand’s response to image-based sexual abuse and the growing misuse of artificial intelligence to create non-consensual intimate images.

In our submission, we supported the Bill’s proposed amendments to the Crimes Act 1961 and the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015, while also encouraging Parliament to take a more future-focused approach. We recommended establishing a national online sexual harm oversight body, expanding the legislation to regulate AI systems and apps designed to generate non-consensual sexual content, and providing victims with access to compensation alongside take-down orders to better recognise a “right to be forgotten” which has been adopted in other jurisdictions. 

As an organisation committed to law reform, particularly where it affects women and girls, AWLA is proud to advocate for legislation that keeps pace with rapidly evolving technology and provides meaningful protection for those most at risk of digital harm.

A copy of our submissions can be found below.